..Charges Churches, Schools, Others
By Onyekachi Eze
Apparently bothered on the snail’s pace approach by adults of eighteen years old and above from the South East zone towards the ongoing Voter registration, the Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr. Sam Amadi has called for a massive participation in the exercise.
Speaking with newsmen in Owerri last weekend, Amadi expressed utter displeasure on the non-challant behavior of the Igbo extraction regarding the registration process.
In particular, he blamed political leaders and elderstatesmen from the region for trauncy, pointing out that getting their wards who just clocked eighteen years and others who do not have Voter’s Card to get enrolled now the INEC portal is open should not be delayed.
He decried that South East zone is gradually becoming politically weak unlike past decades when people were eager to participate in voter education, enlightenment and voter’s registration.
“My commitment is South East development. If the south East region fails to change the narrative of not participating in voter registration, it will continue to erode the zone off political positions and future democracy dividends”, Amadi said.
He further explained that why Northerners get strategic positions in the Federal Government may not be unconnected to their full political participations.
Referencing the current statistics from the INEC portal showing the North ranking top in the chart, Dr. Sam Amadi insisted;
“Our political negligence can make us politically irrelevant. People fail to understand that having a close relationship with the President does not always guarantee an impact in the socio-political and economic growth of the zone.
“The voter density in south East is vast but its utilization is where the problem lies”.
Similarly, Dr. Amadi charged respective Churches and Institutions through their leaders to join hands in getting their members and students registered in the ongoing exercise.
Non Governmental Organizations, the Media across the South East States of Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra are urged not to be left out in the PVC registration drive in South East.
According to Dr. Sam Amadi, the clamour for Igbo Presidency won’t be possible without getting at least four million new voters from the South East.
Also reacting whether or not votes still count after each election, Dr. Amadi said, “where total voting is high, manipulation of results will be extremely difficult”.
Against this backdrop, he expressed optimism that there is still time to right all wrongs in any ill felt marginalization of the zone only if there will be massive registrations and participation and the time is now.
